Bush v. Gore is the ultimate example of politics and law intersecting and it shows how lawyers can affect an election in a dramatic way. But in Arizona, every election cycle brings its own set of controversies to be settled in the courtroom.

Seeking some new perspective at the Capitol, a handful of politicos are looking at ways to bring more structure and efficiency to the legislative session in the hope that more people — particularly those in the business world — would be able to run for office.

Which veteran lawmaker is tone-deaf? Which one would pass out campaign yo-yos if she could? One even says she eats dessert first if it is available “just in case something happens” that would prevent her from enjoying it later.
The 50th Legislature, which started in January, features 31 women lawmakers, which is an increase of three over the 49th Legislature’s total of 28. While this group grapples with the most daunting budget situation ever in Arizona, we wanted to find out how much hope they have in the legislative process and what they think their co-workers might say about them.
We gave each woman lawmaker the chance to answer a four-question survey, with the caveat that each answer could only be two sentences.